- Nominations now open for The Future Awards 2011
The highly anticipates launch of the sixth season of Nigeria’s biggest youth event, The Future Awards, held on the eve of Nigeria’s 50th anniversary, Thursday, Sept 30 – at Terra Kulture in Lagos. The event was hosted by Tinsel’s Gideon Okeke and Omalicha of Rhythm FM.
The event, which as usual attracted the crème of young professionals, entrepreneurs, artists and others as well as national media, was different this year. Themed #TheAuthenticCelebration, it was the most prominent youth celebration of Nigeria at 50, it honoured 50 of the past winners of the awards over the past five years who have made sustained impact and who are relevant as role models to young people.
“We tagged them the Face of the Future,” said Shade Ladipo, a member of the awards’ Central Working Committee. “Because we believe that they are icons for the next generation of Nigerian leaders, who will take our country back. And we did this to ensure that young people claim Nigeria’s 5oth anniversary from the old guard of leaders.” The 50 selected winners will also be featured in the special Commemorative Independence Edition of Y! magazine, which hits the streets on Monday, October 11 2010.
Ladipo also made a presentation of the awards’ activities over the past years, which includes courtesy visits to political and economic leaders, post-awards school seminars, helping to found Nigeria’s most prominent political advocacy campaign for young Nigerians, EnoughisEnough Nigeria, partnering and helping to launch several high-visibility projects targeted at developing young people.
Performers included Waje, Omobaba, Christine Ben-Ameh, and new artiste Sagay unveiled an #IamNigeria theme song. Also at the event, this year’s media campaign was also launched. Every year, The Future Awards season is driven by a media campaign. 2006 was ‘it’s about time’, and 2009 was ‘I am the future’. This year’s campaign is tagged #IamNigeria – and promos unveiled at the venue featured 2face Idibia (Musician of the Year 2006), Tosin Otitoju (Young Person of the Year 2006) and Stephanie Okereke (Young Person of the Year Candidate 2010).
“#IamNigeria is a campaign we wanted to run last year for the 2010 edition, but decided to delay because we thought it would be more appropriate as Nigeria marches into the next 50 years of its life,” Ladipo said. “So last, year, the Resource Group and the Central Working Committee decided to launch the #IRepresentNigeria/#IRepresentNaija campaign, which was massively successful and continues to be popular with young people up until now. #IamNigeria is the natural progression from last year’s campaign.”
Explaining the idea behind #IamNigeria, the creative director of the awards, Chude Jideonwo, in a speech delivered at the venue, said: “This year, we are leaving no room for error or ambiguity: we are not just Nigerians, we are not just the future, we don’t just represent Nigeria; we are Nigeria. We are a generation of pioneers, of innovators; we are roses that grew out of thorns, the generation they thought was done for, but the world is now celebrating. We are the generation that will go out into the elections next year and take our country back. We are the generation that, in the last year of Nigeria’s 50 year cycle, finally said: enough is enough.”
Nominations were also declared open for the 2011 awards. The categories for this year range from On Air Personality of the Year (TV) to Best Use of Sceince. A full list of all 20 categories is on the website www.thefuturenigeria.com.
Judges for this year’s event were also revealed including Biola Alabi (MD, Mnet Africa), Kadaria Ahmed (Editor, NEXT), Leke Alder (Principal, Alder Consulting), Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Prof. Uche Azikiwe, Abike Dabiri (Member, House of Representatives), Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, Jimi Agbaje, Hafsat Abiola-Costello and others.
Guests at the event included Ndidi Nwuneli, Toni Kan, Efere Ozako, Banke Meshida, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, Ohimai Atafo, Matse Uwatse, Inyanya, Tosyn Bucknor, Ikhane Akhigbe, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Warebi Martha, Gbenga Sesan, Abiola Aloba, Femi Brainard, Andre Blaze, Carol King, Dimeji Alara, Mosunmola Umoru, Adaora Oleh, Uche Odoh, Debola Lewis, and others. Announced media partners for the event this year include Silverbird, Channels TV, Soundcity, Nigezie, TEN, Excite on TV, Inspiration FM, City FM, NEXT, BusinessDay, Made, Mode, Encomium, Naijatimes, Acada, BellaNaija.com, Notjustok.com, Ynaija.com, Gistmaster.com and Olamildentertainments.com. The official media partners are Cool Frm nationwide, Wazobia FM nationwide and Y!
THE SELECTED 50 FOR FACE OF THE FUTURE
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Writer of the Year 2006, Young Person of the Year 2008)
Toyin Sokefun-Bello (Artist of the Year 2006)
• Tara Fela-Durotoye (Entrepreneur of the Year 2006, Young Person of the Year 2007)
• Adedayo Osholowu (Professional of the Year 2009)
• 2face Idibia (Musician of the Year 2006)
• Ikpowusan Osakioduwa (On-Air Personality of the Year 2006, On-Air Personality of the Year 2007)
• Cobhams Asuquo (Producer of the Year 2006)
• Bright Okpocha [Basketmouth] (Comedian of the Year 2006)
• Adeolu Akinyemi (Professional of the Year 2006)
• ‘Gbenga Sesan (Best Use of Technology 2006, Best Use of Advocacy 2007)
• Oluwatosin Otitoju (Young Person of the Year 2006)
• Modupe Adefeso (Professional of the Year 2007)
• Funke Bucknor-Obruthe (Entrepreneur of the Year 2007)
• D’banj (Musician of the Year 2008, Young Person of the Year 2009)
• Denrele Edun (Producer of the Year 2007)
• Ali Nuhu (Actor of the Year 2008)
• Bamidele Odufuye (Best Use of Technology 2008, Best Use of Technology 2009)
• Toyosi Akerele (Best Use of Advocacy 2008)
• Bukola Adubi (Entrepreneur of the Year 2008)
• ID Cabassa (Music Producer of the Year 2008)
• LEAP Africa (NGO of the Year 2006)
• Banke Meshida-Lawal (Style Entrepreneur of the Year 2008)
• Abdulkareem Baba Aminu (Journalist of the Year 2008)
• Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi (On-Air Personality of the Year 2008)
• Funke Akindele (Actor of the Year 2009)
• Linda Ikeji (Style Entrepreneur of the Year 2010)
• Emmanuel Etim (Best Use of Advocacy 2009)
• 9ice (Musician of the Year 2009)
• Onye Ubanatu (Screen Producer of the Year 2009)
• Uche Nnaji (Style Entrepreneur of the Year 2009)
• Funke Adetutu (Journalist of the Year 2009)
• Omobaba (Comedian of the Year 2009)
• Mosunmola Umoru (Business Owner of the Year 2009)
• Stephanie Okereke (Young Person of the Year Candidate 2010)
• Asa (Young Person of the Year Candidate 2010)
• Knighthouse (Team of the Year 2009)
• Kemi Lala Akindoju (Actor of the Year 2010)
• Tolu Sangosanya (Best Use of Advocacy 2010)
• Ify Aniebo (Best Use of Science 2010, Young Person of the Year 2010)
• Adebola Lewis (Business-Owner of the Year 2010)
• Fatima Zara Modibbo (Excellence in Public Service 2010)
• Tolu Ogunlesi (Young Person of the Year Candidate 2010)
• Warebi Martha (Model of the Year 2010)
• MI Abaga (Musician of the Year 2010)
• Maste Uwatse (On-Air Personality of the Year, Radio 2010)
• Andre Blaze (On-Air Personality of the Year, TV 2010)
• Omoyemi Akerele (Style Entrepreneur of the Year 2007)
• Ifunanya Maduka (Professional of the Year 2010)
• Kenneth Gyang (Screen Producer of the Year 2010)
• Yagazie Chukwumerije (Sportsperson of the Year 2009)
Here are pictures from the event...
Why we are Nigeria
By Chude Jideonwo Being Keynote Address, delivered at the launch of The Future Awards Season 6 at Terra Kulture, Lagos on Thursday, September 30, 2010.
Last year, on this same stage, we spent a few words reminding Nigerians about what we have to celebrate as a nation. One year after, celebration is, literally, in the air. Tomorrow, our country completes its 50th year, and Nigeria begins yet another cycle in its evolution.
But is there, really, anything to celebrate? For the month or two, many Nigerians have relocated to Abuja, joining a posse of our compatriots looking for a bit – any bit – of the billions of naira budgeted to celebrate 50 years. All over the country, tomorrow, there will be concerts and parties, raves and grooves, all to celebrate this nation that many of us have regularly criticized and cursed.
Shouldn’t it be a day for, as Nigerians say it, sober reflection? Shouldn’t we be having summits, conferences, seminars, work and talk shops, instead of feel-good parties, dissecting where we went wrong as a nation; and how the next 50 will be different?
Allow me quote liberally from Ako Amadi, a columnist with NEXT newspapers. “On October 1,” he said this week. “Nigerians will surely wake up to the pounding of marching boots and martial music, complemented by a rumble of armoured vehicles, the flight display of combat aircraft. What else? The inspection of a guard-of-honour and, in the evening, a state banquet, valedictory speeches, laughter and music, cultural dances, comedians and clowns.”
But, rejoice though we may, the truth is none of this will help us find out when young school-leavers will get jobs, or how tens of millions of Nigerians who live on less than a dollar a day will find that basic of all needs – food. It won’t answer where the many displaced from their homes in shanties in Lagos will live or where the banned okada riders will find jobs.
At the drop of a hat, we will rejoice and we will felicitate, but it would seem that when it comes to the urgent business of nation building, we are found wanting. We have been called a neo-failed state; we have been described as a sleeping giant, we have been identified as one of a club of Africans countries that have qualified the continent to be called, by The Economist, the “basket case of the world”.
And so when many say that October 1, 2010, must be marked, not celebrated, one sympathises, understands; in fact almost embraces, that point of view. Those are the people that say this occasion should be a serious warning that time is running out for this nation; that “vultures are hovering above in expectation of a putrescent cadaver, when a very sick Nigeria is finally strangled to death by its corrupt elite.” Because, indeed, our dear country has not fulfilled, or even neared its potential. Our leaders are fiddling – paying for carnivals to declare for president of a crippled colony - while Nigeria decays and burns. “The masses don't care about anything, anymore. This jubilee will be anything but golden. The thrill, perhaps, is gone.
Still, we announce today, not with wanton excitement, but with guarded optimism that there is yet something to celebrate. It is instructive for us that The Future Awards, founded to show hope in our future, is passing its 5th year in the same year that Nigeria is passing its 50th because we see it as a fantastic opportunity to emphasise our message.
Our message is and has always been that we have something to celebrate in the fact that young people have managed to excel in spite of our many problems. That faith that the young people have retained in the country is most responsible for its existence and most responsible for the hope that we have in the nation’s future.
We tagged today TheAuthenticCelebration because we said to ourselves that we cannot allow this symbolic occasion be hijacked by the old guard, the same old destructive forces.
This is the cusp of a truly new dawn, and we must seize this moment to lay claim to our future; to our country; to our vision of a society that works, and which people can truly achieve their potential. Sitting at home or shouting on Twitter and moaning, while they spend our national resources in a farce is not acceptable. We also must celebrate - celebrate the possibilities, the opportunities, the vista. The old guard counts on the fact that we will continue to cede the field to them, same way they expect that next year – after all our noise – we will not Register, we will not Select, we will not Vote and we will not Protect our votes. From tomorrow, the new beginning of a new dawn, we must begin to more strongly send a message that the game has changed.
We must state that any national celebration or nation building effort that does not have the youth at its centre and at its core is not legitimate. That is why today we have gathered 50 of Nigeria’s best, whom we describe as the Face of the Future; past winners of these awards – scientists, engineers, innovators, pioneers, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists - who have made continued impact and are relevant at the moment. The old rank of leaders has had the last 50 years. These young people are icons for the thousands who will chart Nigeria’s course for the next 50.
Because we, who almost singlehandedly built new industries in technology, IT, new media, music, fashion, style, events, movies, comedy, development, are the real Nigeria. We are the ones who decided against fleeing the country in a moment of frustration; who have stuck with it through rain and shine; who have maintained a resolute faith in the works of our hands and the power of our visions. We are Nigeria, not them! Not them!
Enough of allowing them – and you know who the3y are – claim a destiny, a country that belongs to you and me.
In 2008, The Future Awards campaign was “We are the future”, last season we made bold to say “We represent Nigeria”. But this year, we are leaving no room for error or ambiguity. We are not just Nigerians, we are not just the future, we don’t just represent Nigeria; we are Nigeria.
We are a generation of pioneers, of innovators, we are roses that grew out of thorns, the generation they called wasted but the whole world is now celebrating; we are the generation that will go out into the lections next year and take our country back. We are the generation that, in the last year of Nigeria’s first cycle of 50, finally said: enough is enough.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the future.
www.thefuturenigeria.com
